Enlarged intra-abdominal pacinian corpuscles simulating tumor implants.

Advances in imaging techniques are changing the way radiologists undertake imaging of the gastrointestinal tract and their ability to answer questions posed by surgeons. In this paper we discuss the technological improvements of imaging studies that have occurred in the last few years and how these help to better diagnosing alimentary tract disease.

Digestive System↗

PubMed2006

Conformational spaces of the gastrointestinal antisecretory chiral drug omeprazole: stereochemistry and tautomerism.

A study of the conformational spaces of the chiral proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drug omeprazole by semiempirical, ab-initio, and DFT methods is described. In addition to the chiral center at the sulfinyl sulfur atom, the chiral axis at the pyridine ring (due to the hindered rotation of the 4-methoxy substituents) was considered. The results were analyzed in terms of the 5-methoxy and 6-methoxy tautomers and the two pairs of enantiomers (R,P)/(S,M) and (R,M)/(S,P). Five torsion angles were systematically explored: the backbone rotations defined by D1 (N3-C2-S10-O11), D2 (C2-S10-C12-C13), and D3 (S10-C12-C13-N14) and two methoxy rotations defined by D4 (C6-C5-O8-C9) and D5 (C16-C17-O19-C20). Significant energy differences were revealed between the 5- and 6-methoxy tautomers, the extended and folded conformations, and the (S,M) and (S,P) diastereomers. The "extended M" conformation of the 6-methoxy tautomer of (S)-omeprazole was found to be the most stable conformer.

Digestive System↗

PubMed2005

Excretion and detection of SARS coronavirus and its nucleic acid from digestive system.

AIM: To study whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) could be excreted from digestive system. METHODS: Cell culture and semi-nested RT-PCR were used to detect SARS-CoV and its RNA from 21 stool and urine samples, and a kind of electropositive filter media particles was used to concentrate the virus in 10 sewage samples from two hospitals receiving SARS patients in Beijing in China. RESULTS: It was demonstrated that there was no live SARS-CoV in all samples collected, but the RNA of SARS-CoV could be detected in seven stool samples from SARS patients with any one of the symptoms of fever, malaise, cough, or dyspnea, in 10 sewage samples before disinfection and 3 samples after disinfection from the two hospitals. The RNA could not be detected in urine and stool samples from patients recovered from SARS. CONCLUSION: Nucleic acid of SARS-CoV can be excreted through the stool of patients into sewage system, and the possibility of SARS-CoV transmitting through digestive system cannot be excluded.

Digestive System↗